Pages

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Glazed Flat Apple Pie

I can see why I became addicted to reading food blogs, about five years ago. They're so visual. I fall into the category of folks who tastes with my eyes. All it takes is for a mouth-watering photo to pop out of the screen, and my brain goes into crave mode.

Seriously, it's become a problem and I can't help myself. That's exactly what happened when Cathy of "Wives With Knives" posted her recipe for Glazed Apple Pie Bars. I could not stop thinking about that recipe!

Braeburn, Jonagold and Granny Smith Apples

...and, I'm not even a fan of apple pie! Blasphemy, I know. I've mentioned, numerous times, that pie crust doesn't rock my world. But, that has changed, now that I found a pie crust recipe that I like. I'm convinced that adding egg and vinegar makes for a very tender pastry crust. (I used my food processor to make the pie crust.) I'd have to ask Alton Brown why that is, but it works-- and you can't taste the vinegar, either.

However, I find that the dough can be a little testy to work with, because it breaks apart and requires a bit of patching. That's why I found making a pie in a half-sheet baking pan makes the task easier to do. Thanks, Cathy, for that tip, because I have one of these pans and I use it all the time.

There are two ingredients, that I order from King Arthur Flour (online) that I cannot be without. One of them is their Boiled Cider.

I add it to any recipe that uses apples, because it kicks up the flavor in a very good way. It's super concentrated, so you can even use it to make apple cider.

The other ingredient that I love is Instant ClearJel. I mix this to the sugar, before adding it to any fruit pie filling. Instant ClearJel doesn't "cloud" my fillings and does a great job of preventing runny pies. Win! For this pie filling, I used 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and some fresh lemon juice.

Once the apple filling was spread onto the bottom half of the pie crust, I dotted it with unsalted butter, then topped it with the second crust. TIP: Parchment paper makes this easier to do. Once the crust is rolled, on top of the parchment paper, I can just flip it onto the baking sheet. Much easier!

I like to make an egg wash, to brush on top of the pie crust. (You can also use heavy cream.) I buy sparkling sugar -- where else-- from King Arthur Flour. I sprinkle it on top and then set the pie on a large baking sheet (or my baking stone) at 375F for about 35-45 minutes.

I debated about adding the glaze, since there was, already, sugar on top...but I ultimately decided to try it.

As an afterthought, I realized that caramel would be a fun twist or even maple to the glaze would be fun. This time, I stuck with powdered sugar and water.

My cooling racks fit perfectly over my kitchen sink, so that's where I do all of my "drizzling". It makes cleanup so much easier! (You're welcome.) Cathy adds chopped walnuts, which sounds fantastic. My son doesn't like them, so I opted out.

I was losing natural light, fast, so I couldn't get really good shots of the pie-- and I was anxious to taste this pie. I sliced into it, while it as still warm. Vanilla ice cream would have been a nice touch, but I went au naturel.TASTING NOTES: This crust is my new favorite (always subject to change). It's very tender. I loved the cinnamon in the filling, but you could certainly leave it out. Using a blend of apples is a good way to go, because you have sweet and the Granny Smith tart, plus you have different levels of apple texture...from soft to slightly crispy. I liked the crunchiness of the sugar and the glaze was a nice touch, as well. This pie was a hit with all of us, and a friend described this as "the best strudel he has ever eaten". I can see why, because the pastry is so tender.

This recipe goes on the top of the pile as a "keeper recipe". Cathy, thanks for inspiring me to make a pie in a non-traditional pan. This would be perfect as a potluck kind of dessert, because you can make smaller slices to go around.

As always, you will find a printable recipe card at the very end of this post. If you can't view it, click here.

I'm so happy to read that you enjoyed this recipe, Debby. Using parchment to position the crust is a great idea as is adding a bit of boiled cider to the filling. I think that the acid of the vinegar keeps the gluten strands from getting too long--thus resulting in a tender, flaky crust. Whatever happens...it really works. I bought apples today at the farmers' market so I can make these bars again. Yum - yum.

I don't know why more people don't do it this way, especially pie crust klutzes like me who would do much better with a square shape. This time instead of thinking outside the box, we're being creative by thinking inside a box! :)

I have been wanting to try that clear gel. I have as much trouble with runny pies as I do with crusts. I'm glad it has your seal of approval. Will try for my next fruit pie for sure.

Blasphemer!! I just love apple pies, and this one looks great. About the vinegar & egg, both act as tenderizers. The acid in the vinegar decreases the strength of the gluten that is formed. The egg yolks soften raw doughs, even as they give structure to the same dough once it is baked. The egg fats are emulsifiers and as such, interfere with gluten formation.

Welcome!

Welcome to my internet kitchen. Please, sit back and relax, and watch me make delicious food and bakery recipes. Most of my recipes are simple, flavorful meals-- and a few baked treats. I focus on using fresh, seasonal ingredients and I try to avoid using boxed mixes and processed foods. I'm having fun learning how to cook like my grandmother once did-- from scratch! I hope that my step-by-step photos will inspire a timid cook to try them. Even if you're a seasoned cook, hopefully you'll learn a new tip or two.

If you have any questions,or just want to say "hello", please feel free to email me: foodiewife@gmail.com

Join Me On Facebook

Please respect my photo's copyrights!

Please be courteous. Don't steal my content!

Unfortunately, I am finding that my photos are being copied and used on other blogs. This makes my otherwise cheerful personality, very unhappy.If you'd like to use one of my photographs, all you have to do is email me at foodiewife@gmail.com. Please, do not use my photographs to represent a recipe that isn't mine, and without linking it back to me. Failure to use my work without my permission is copyright infringement. Thank you!

Looking for a specific recipe? Start here:

Loading...

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address:

Please start your Amazon shopping here. I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you!

Side Dishes

Perfect Potatoes Au Gratin

Grab A Button

Do you "Pinterest"?

Privacy Policy

This policy is valid from 30 August 2014

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.